Amazon Kindle Users Test Drive the iPad

Everybody in the publishing world focused on the iPad this weekend, but meanwhile, some of the most interesting disucssions about the future of books was taking place among Amazon Kindle customers. In the Amazon forums, a number of Kindle fans have been using their new iPads–generating some mixed opinions.

In the video embedded above, we tracked down Kindle users in the iPad line. One Kindle reader wrote over the weekend: “I tried reading on the IPad outside in the sun–not good! Glare is a real problem. If you read outside in the sun (like me), eink is the only way to go. Michael is right about the larger screen, but again, I actually like the one page size of the Kindle–I can really focus on what I am reading. Reading on the IPad does not ‘disappear’ for me like it totally does on the Kindle.”

Another Kindle fan knocked the iPad maker: “There is a big difference between being pushy and being innovative. Apple would do well to learn the difference. There’s a reason the word ‘jailbreak’ is associated with Apple products: They try to lock people into what Apple thinks best, instead of allowing users to follow the path that suits their needs.”

One new Apple convert noted: “Well as an owner of two Kindle 1’s and a Kindle 2 and having used the e-ink display since Feb 2008, my first thought when opening the iBooks app yesterday was literally ‘Wow, this just killed my Kindle.’ and I immediately began wondering how Amazon was going to try to compete. I took the iPad out into the sun and had no problems reading with the brightness turned up, though it was somewhat cold so I immediately went back inside. Overall I am very happy with the iPad and the reading experience was a real joy on it.”

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